Bennigan's Grill & Tavern vs Bar Louie Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Bennigan's Grill & Tavern vs Bar Louie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Bar Louie Franchise
Investment $1,027,075 - $3,588,244$923,500 - $3,707,333
Franchise Fee $35,000$50,000
Royalty Fee 4%5%
Advertising Fee 1%2% local, 1%Nat'l
Year Founded 19761991
Year Franchised 19762010
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Bar Louie Franchise
Experience

�Has prior management level experience in food service and/or restaurant operations. �Willingness to follow our proven operating system �A solid business person with a strong desire to succeed �Possesses experience in restaurant franchising �Meets the financial requirements

Just as there is no cookie cutter location, there is no cookie-cutter franchisee. A company's objective should determine if a potential franchisee is a good fit. For franchisees looking to build on a unique culture, franchisees should be excited for the opportunity to customize. Someone who wants to expand quickly through a replication and repetition rollout approach will not deliver the guest experience that customers should come to expect from the brand.


Financing Options
 
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Bar Louie Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/No-/-
Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
Equipment No/Yes-/-
Inventory No/Yes-/-
Receivables No/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/-

Training & Support
 
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Bar Louie Franchise
Training Bennigan's, or a designated third party, will provide training to you and your restaurant team. Your management team will be required to complete a 6 to 8 week training program based on prior experience. Onsite training will be provided to entire team before restaurant opening. All parties must successfully complete the training to the satisfaction of the Bennigan's Operations/Training team prior to opening your restaurant. We believe great training equals lower turnover and stronger guest retention. Therefore, we provide continued support to team members. Bennigan's University, our online learning module, helps drive the retention of both staff and guests.-
Support For the pre-opening of your first Bennigan's, members of our Operations and Marketing Teams will assist you from 45 days prior to your Grand Opening. Marketing Support: Our goal is to help you successfully market your brand. We put a marketing calendar in place to help drive sales, increase check average and guest count. Marketing tools provided include: Intranet, Email Marketing, Social Media Support, New Photography, Pipeline Items/Menu Development.

We offer extensive support along the way, including: * Full support through the site identification and construction process * A comprehensive training program for restaurant teams * MALT (Music, Atmosphere, Lighting, Temperature) - the secret to creating the Bar Louie experience * Access to leading software and restaurant management tools * Compelling advertising and local store marketing materials * Extensive PR and social media programming
Marketing Co-op advertising-
Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 98% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

-

Expansion Plans
 
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Bar Louie Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion Yes-

Company Overviews

About Bennigan's Grill & Tavern

Bennigan's was established in Atlanta, Georgia in 1976 by Norman Brinker, a legend among restaurateurs.  Bennigan's is still the iconic brand loved by all and is re-establishing itself as the leader in casual dining. Committed to the welcoming, friendly and festive spirit of Irish Hospitality, Bennigan's offers more generous pours and portions and goes above and beyond the call of duty to deliver Legendary experiences to every guest, every meal, every day. In 2011, Bennigan's began a Legendary comeback by re-energizing the beloved brand with a commitment to bring memorable dining experiences to every guest, every day. This remarkable resurgence began with a brand refresh at the company's two corporate locations and a plan to bring the same menu optimization and service enhancements to current and future franchise partners.
The mission at Bennigan's is to deliver exceptional service to every guest, every meal, every day. In order to deliver this service, we must remember to focus on those essential elements that will allow us to provide quality service with a bit of Irish hospitality on the side.

About Bar Louie

Bar Louie is a national collection of neighborhood bars featuring hand-crafted cocktails and spirits, delectable food and an inviting atmosphere for people to enjoy time with friends and mingle with new people. Founded in 1990 by Ted Kasmir and Roger Greenfield, Bar Louie has more than 100 locations across the United States and is growing through both franchising and corporate locations. Open during four parts of the day - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - Bar Louie is an award-winning concept with a progressively hip and lively atmosphere. Each Bar Louie is a local social, casual gathering spot - neighborhood bars and eateries that feature hand-crafted cocktails, spirits and delectable scratch food in an inviting, urban atmosphere. Each Bar Louie has a modern, relaxed vibe that expresses the brand’s identity, and no two locations are alike. Some are a cozy 5,000 square feet, while another boasts a roomy 11,000 square feet, with many other locations somewhere between. Layouts vary, as do local food and drink specials. Just as no two locations are like, there is no "cookie-cutter" type of franchise partner for Bar Louie. While existing franchisees have owned a business, each owner comes from a unique facet of life. Similarly, guests range from ages 25 to 54 and more than 50 percent are women. Another distinction is Bar Louie's four distinct day-parts - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - with the entire food and drink menu available all day, every day. This provides guests a perfect gathering place for family dinners, drinks with friends, watching sporting events and everything between. The average customer visit lasts longer than two hours.
Financially we require per location: $500K liquid assets, $1.5 million net worth.

The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Bar Louie Restaurant franchised business ranges from $923,500 to $3,707,333. This includes $50,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total initial investment necessary to begin operation as a Bar Louie Area Developer is $25,000 multiplied by the number of Bar Louie restaurants to be developed under the Development Agreement. This is the same amount that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.